Mexican Radio rocks Hudson with fresh cuisine (recipe, videos)

Mark Young and Lori Selden, co-owners of Mexican Radio in Hudson, stand outside the restaurant. (Freeman photo by Tania Barricklo)

HUDSON, N.Y. -- Despite its name, the 537 Warren St. address is not a broadcast center, but a restaurant that has become synonymous with a thriving, cultural and hip Hudson.

"We had been looking in the Hudson-Chatham area for about five years," explained Lori Selden, who, with her husband, Mark Young, opened Mexican Radio in Hudson in 2003.

Selden said the couple was well-acquainted with Columbia County because they had been renting a house there for a number of years.

"Coincidentally, we bought a home in Stuyvesant in 2001, after 9-11," Selden said.

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"We bought this location in 2002, but it took us about a year to get it ready. We opened in June 2003," she said.

An amused Selden explained the origin of the name, which is connected to music.

"'Mexican Radio' is the name of a song. It was one of the first videos on MTV, written by Stan Ridgway and performed by his band, Wall of Voodoo," Selden said.

"Mark and I sat around one night wondering what we were going to name the restaurant. We knew it wasn't going to be anything like Mi Cocina or Casa Mexicana. We wanted something a bit more rock 'n roll," she said.

"Mexican Radio is where people like Wolfman Jack and others got their start when they weren't allowed to play rock 'n roll in the U.S. because it was banned initially. So, they went over into Mexico and blasted rock across the border back into California!" Selden said.

"Given how strong our margaritas were back in the day - our food was very spicy, our drinks were very strong! - we decided Mexican Radio was the way to go," she said.

"People who know us well simply refer to us as 'The Radio' now," Selden said, adding, "I love it when I see/hear someone walking by the restaurants and breaking into the song!"

Restaurants, plural, are correct, because Selden and Young opened the first Mexican Radio 17½ years ago in a tiny place on the border of Little Italy, Tribeca and Soho.

"We were in Nolita before it was Nolita," Young said. "It was the place for young artists, musicians, and entrepreneurs to live long before it became trendy. Now, no one can afford to live there," he said.

"It was just 600 square feet, on Mulberry Street, including the kitchen, dining area and rest room," Selden recalled, laughing.

"We could seat 10 people. We took over the lease and inherited this funky little restaurant. I have given dinner parties with a lot more people in that kind of space, so I thought I'd give it a shot," she said.

Selden said she learned to prepare Mexican food while living in San Francisco and Young while living in the Dallas area. The couple met in New York City.

"Mexican food in New York at that time was just g-d-awful," Selden said. "I knew I could prepare better-tasting food."

Selden said after four years on Mulberry Street customers living around the corner on Cleveland Place urged them to move into a larger space there.

"The customers were unhappy with a night club there and didn't want another one as a neighbor. They said we were good at community relations, so we decided to put off Hudson for two years and moved to Cleveland Place," Young said.

"We both love all kinds of ethnic foods - Ethiopian, Thai - we like a lot of heat," Selden said. "When we first opened, our food was very spicy, but we learned to pare down the heat," she said.

"I can't be trusted with the spice, though, so we put hot sauces on the table for customers to make their own heat," she added, laughing.

Young said Hudson, at first, was a difficult market for new restaurateurs with a different perspective about food.

"We couldn't get distributors to deliver products to us," Young said. "They told us they didn't come this way to make deliveries."

"Some of our deliveries, intended for Hudson, ended up at Hudson and Warren streets in New York City," Selden recalled.

"We both believe in fresh and local," Selden said. So, she said she and a partner co-founded Columbia County Bounty a number of years ago as a way to connect with local farmers.

"It took a while, but now, farmers grow specific produce for us in season," Young said. He said Holmquest Farm, for example, is a source of tomatillos, which are used in the daily, fresh-made sauces.

"The farmers played a big part in turning Hudson around, from a food desert, to a savvy, food-aware community," Selden said.

Selden said Mexican Radio is vegetarian and vegan friendly; all sauces, as well as rice and beans are vegetarian. The cheeses are vegan and flour is gluten-free; corn chips are made fresh three times a day, she said.

"The staff is trained to be very aware of customer needs in terms of food issues and sensitivity," she said.

Selden and Young are not ones to remain long in their comfort zone. They recently purchased a large, 2,500 square foot building in downtown Schenectady that's undergoing renovation for a third Mexican Radio.

"The space is huge," Selden admitted. She said, from the exterior, the building is three separate structures, which are connected as one space inside.

"It was a former department store, then an OTB parlor, just down the street from Proctor's Theatre. Its enormous size kept it from being repurposed," she said. However, she said she and Young found creative ways to re-invent the space.

Selden said one entrance would be designated for private parties and customers could also rent the space. The third floor would be set aside for office space.

"The first and second floors will be used for dining areas, with the kitchen in the middle," Selden said.

Schenectady, like Kingston, Poughkeepsie, Newburgh, and other river towns, is trying to recover from its industrial past and re-invent itself.

"Lori and I do think of ourselves as urban pioneers," Young said. "We were in Nolita in the early days when John Giotti's 'social club' was just across the street. But, we also understand that, with our limited resources, we need to make our move before these places become trendy," he said.

Young also said the couple was impressed by the assistance they received from the city and county of Schenectady.

"Everyone was on the same page with us and made moving forward effortless," he said.

Selden said John O'Connell, a Boston-based architect, is in charge of renovations.

"We've known each other since we were 14," Selden said. "He 'gets me' and my eclectic tastes that are somewhat difficult to translate to someone else."

Selden attributes the success of the restaurants to a variety of factors.

"You have to continually look at yourself. To be aware. To pay attention to the seasons and make the specials fit them," she said thoughtfully.

"You also have to listen - to your customers and also to your staff who are in continual contact with customers. Their opinions count," she said.

"Mexican Radio is all about team work," Selden said.

Selden said the Mexican Radio menu continually moves forward, also.

"I'm the executive chef and recipe developer. We're launching a completely new menu, with a separate vegan-vegetarian menu, at the end of July," Selden said. "It will be fabulous."

A current aspect of Mexican Radio, to be continued with the launch, is Selden's "re-interpretation" of the Monday through Friday Happy Hour.

Called "Bocas at the Bar," the menu is derived from bocaditos or "little bites," like tapas, that are small, flavorful Mexican dishes that are a great way to sample the larger menu. There are also specialty drinks.

"'Boca' means 'mouth' and bocaditos are little treats for the mouth," Selden said. "All are vegan-vegetarian friendly. We offer a variety of meat and dairy substitutes for the bocaditos," she said.

There are daily specials, special lunch prices every day, house-made desserts and Sunday brunch.

Mexican Radio is located at 537 Warren St., Hudson, and is open seven days, for lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch, 11:30 a.m-11 p.m.

Lunch, Monday-Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.; Sunday brunch, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Take out is available as are facilities for parties.

Further information may be obtained by calling (518) 828-7770 or by visiting info@mexrad.com.

Spicy Scorpion From Mexican Radio

(Makes 1 margarita)

Ingredients:

Muddle (combine):

2-4 slices of serrano pepper (adjust heat to taste)

1 ounce of 100% agave mezcal

Add:

Ice

3 more ounces of 100% agave mezcal

2 ounces orange liqueur

1 ounce fresh lime juice

Splash of sour mix

To make:

Shake well. Pour into glass of your choice.

Editor's note: This article was amended to correct the restaurant's phone number.